The IRS, your boss, Microsoft, the power company, the sheriff. Scammers impersonate all of them, and they all suddenly want Apple or Google Play cards. It's the #1 way scammers take payment.
No government agency, utility, court, tech company, or employer collects money with gift cards. The moment the words "gift card" enter a payment conversation, the conversation is over. Hang up.
A call, text, or email from the "IRS," your "boss," the "power company," or "Microsoft." You owe money, or there's an emergency, and it must be handled TODAY.
"Go to Walgreens, buy $500 in Apple gift cards, and read me the numbers." They'll even keep you on the phone the whole drive.
The second you read those codes, the value is drained and gone. No shipping, no tracing, no reversing.
Gift cards aren't like credit cards. There's no fraud department to call, no chargeback. That's exactly why scammers love them.
Memorize the rule: gift cards are for gifts. Anyone demanding them as payment is a scammer, 100% of the time.
Hang up and verify. Call the agency, company, or your boss at a number YOU look up.
Warn your parents and grandparents. This scam targets them hardest, and shame keeps victims quiet.
If a cashier questions your big gift card purchase, that's not rudeness. They're trying to save you.
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